Shao Yanzhe walked out of the study and approached the courtyard gate. He reached out to unlatch the bolt, pulling the door open to reveal an elderly man with graying hair standing at the entrance.
The old man’s face was weathered and dark, his wrinkles crisscrossing like the bark of an ancient tree, carved deeply with the marks of time.
Shao Yanzhe recognized him from his inherited memories—this was Shao Yuan, the Lizheng of Yushan Village.
“Ah, it’s good you’re home, A’Ze! Your cousin brought this back from Wenyuan Academy for you. Take a look quickly—don’t let it be delayed!” Shao Yuan said, making no comment about Shao Yanzhe’s disheveled appearance as he carefully retrieved a letter from his robe and handed it over.
“Thank you, Lizheng!” Shao Yanzhe expressed gratitude before accepting the letter. His eyes scanned the envelope, noting it was simply addressed “Shao Yanzhe personally” with no sender’s name indicated.
“Lizheng, do you know who sent this letter?”
Lizheng Shao Yuan shook his head with some embarrassment. “I’m not sure about that. A’Ran gave me the letter and left in a hurry without sharing any other details.”
The A’Ran he referred to was his eldest grandson, Shao Ran, who also studied at Wenyuan Academy.
Shao Yanzhe nodded. “Alright, thank you for making the trip!”
“Don’t mention it! This old bones could use the walk anyway.” The Lizheng waved his hand cheerfully. “Well, you go ahead and read your letter. No need to see me out—I’ll be on my way.”
“Very well, take care on your way, Lizheng!”
Shao Yanzhe watched the Lizheng depart before closing the courtyard gate again. He returned to his study in a few strides, seating himself at the desk as he carefully opened the envelope.
Xuan Yao, who had been lazily sunbathing on the windowsill, suddenly sensed something amiss. The cat sprang upright, his pupils narrowing as he stared alertly toward Shao Yanzhe, golden light faintly gleaming in his eyes.
“Hsss!”
He emitted a fierce hiss, trying to warn Shao Yanzhe.
Yun Weiyue, who had materialized unnoticed within the painting scroll, also changed expression as she urgently cautioned: “Don’t open it!”
Hearing the simultaneous warnings from both cat and spirit, Shao Yanzhe’s hand trembled as he held the paper knife. The envelope’s seal split open under the blade.
The moment the envelope was breached, a dark mist came writhing out.
The fog churned violently, seemingly forming a grotesque ghostly face.
In the next instant, the black mist surged forward and shot directly into Shao Yanzhe’s chest.
“Tssk—!”
He gasped in pain, feeling as if an invisible hand had clenched his heart in a death grip. The agony left him breathless, his vision flickering with darkness.
He pressed a hand against his chest, attempting to alleviate the pain.
Xuan Yao leaped down from the windowsill in agitation, his eyes filled with concern. Though injured and unable to speak, he paced anxiously around Shao Yanzhe.
After some time, the cardiac pain gradually subsided. Shao Yanzhe removed his hand from his chest.
The intense pain had left him drenched in sweat, with several strands of hair clinging to his pale, bloodless cheeks, making him appear thoroughly wretched.
Noticing movement at his feet, he looked down to see Xuan Yao circling him in distress.
He chuckled softly, reaching out to stroke the cat’s head before quickly withdrawing his hand.
Xuan Yao lifted a paw, considering punishing this two-legged creature who dared touch the great cat demon’s head. But seeing the other’s pallid and strained expression, he abandoned the thought.
“Forget it, forget it. This two-legged creature is about to die anyway, might as well humor him!”
Yun Weiyue frowned as she stared at Shao Yanzhe. They had just formed an alliance – if he died because of this, wouldn’t she be at a loss?
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
Shao Yanzhe took a deep breath, leaning back weakly in his chair. “Manageable. Not dead yet.”
When he regained some strength, he pulled open his robes to examine his chest. His pale skin appeared stained with blood, but upon closer inspection, the reddish hue came from countless tiny crimson blood vessels.
These crimson vessels converged toward his heart, growing increasingly vivid until they formed a glaringly red mole right over his cardiac region.
Unable to see Shao Yanzhe’s condition herself, Yun Weiyue asked, “What’s the situation now?”
After refastening his clothes, Shao Yanzhe roughly described the appearance of his chest.
Yun Weiyue’s brow furrowed. “If I recall correctly, this is the Soul Severing Curse unique to vengeful spirits. Unless we can make it voluntarily withdraw the curse or eliminate it, the cursed person will die within seven days.”
She glanced at the black cat and added, “Actually, if you hadn’t shared some National Luck with this stinky cat yesterday, you wouldn’t have been vulnerable to the Soul Severing Curse.”
Shao Yanzhe shook his head without showing any regret. Instead, he asked, “Do you know where the master of this Soul Severing Curse is?”
Yun Weiyue shook her head – she had no idea.
At that moment, Xuan Yao, who had been sitting nearby, suddenly spoke: “Wenyuan Academy.”
After speaking, red blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Before anyone noticed, he quickly licked it clean.
Shao Yanzhe looked down at Xuan Yao but detected nothing unusual.
He immediately understood – the scholars who died at Wenyuan Academy were probably this vengeful spirit’s doing.
Frowning in thought, his gaze fell upon the envelope before him. He took out the letter inside and quickly scanned its contents.
The letter was from his former teacher at Wenyuan Academy. Besides urging him to study diligently, it advised him not to return to the academy during this period, concluding with wishes for his success in the Imperial Examination.
Now, it seemed he couldn’t fulfill his teacher’s wishes.
He had to go to Wenyuan Academy – otherwise, seven days later would mark his death.
Yun Weiyue glanced at Xuan Yao, seeming to hesitate before speaking, then looked away without further attention.
“Don’t worry,” she comforted, “with us here, you won’t lose your pathetic life.”
Shao Yanzhe paused briefly, then nodded. “Alright, thank you!”
After fully recovering his strength, he stood up to tidy the study. He carefully stored the policy essays he had revised, planning to review them later when time permitted.
Thanks to Yun Weiyue’s expert guidance throughout the night, his policy essay skills had improved dramatically, now approaching the level of a Xiucai. With more study time, his success in the upcoming Imperial Examination was almost guaranteed.
Of course, this assumed he successfully survived the next seven days.
While there was still time, Shao Yanzhe spread out xuan paper and began transcribing texts. The books he needed to copy were all basic primers like the Three Character Classic, Hundred Family Surnames, and Thousand Character Classic.
The number of words in these books wasn’t particularly large, so he planned to finish copying them before leaving home to earn some silver coins. Otherwise, he’d truly have nothing to live on after arriving at the academy.
His copying speed was remarkably fast—he completed the task in just three double-hours.
Afterward, he wrote two more essays. Under Yun Weiyue’s guidance, these compositions were rich in Literary Qi and could be considered excellent works.
He burned these two essays, offering them to Xuan Yao and Yun Weiyue respectively.
The cat and ghost who received the benefits both looked at Shao Yanzhe.
With a complicated expression, Yun Weiyue said, “You needn’t do this. Right now is when you most need National Luck for protection.”
Xuan Yao also nodded and let out a soft mew: “Meow!”
Shao Yanzhe clapped his hands to ensure the papers were completely burned, then stood up: “You both need it too.”
The emotions of the cat and ghost immediately grew complex.
Seeing that time was running late, Shao Yanzhe hurriedly packed the books he needed to bring along with the copied texts into his book chest. Hastily shouldering the chest, he prepared to depart for Wenyuan Academy.
Approaching the scroll painting, he offered an apologetic smile before carefully removing it from the wall. He rolled it up meticulously and placed it atop the book chest, securing it firmly.
Then, carrying a small bundle containing several sets of clothes in one hand and holding Xuan Yao in the other, he locked the door and departed.
Behind Shao Yanzhe, atop the locked door, a spider with vibrant patterns on its back had appeared at some unknown time. Its eight eyes stared fixedly in the direction of his departure.
Had Shao Yanzhe noticed this spider, he would have instantly recognized it as the very creature he had seen upon first opening his eyes after transmigrating.
Xuan Yao, being carried by Shao Yanzhe, seemed to sense something amiss. It turned to look behind them, scanning the area but finding nothing unusual. After a moment of puzzlement, it withdrew its gaze, no longer concerned. Its tail swayed back and forth, reflecting its cheerful mood.
Of course, things would be even better if they could get rid of that wretched scroll painting.
So thought Xuan Yao.
Having no money left, Shao Yanzhe had no choice but to walk to the county town. Before he had gone far, he encountered Uncle Li.
Seeing him carrying so many belongings, Uncle Li immediately took the book chest from his back and placed it on the ox cart.
“Young Shao, you’ve just recovered from illness—don’t overexert yourself. Let me give you a ride.”Shao Yanzhe replied somewhat sheepishly, ‘Uncle Li, I’m short on funds and I’m afraid I can’t afford the fare.'”
Uncle Li waved his hand dismissively: “No matter! Consider it a debt—you can pay me next time!”
“In that case, thank you, Uncle Li!”
Shao Yanzhe arrived at the county town earlier than expected. His first stop was the bookstore, where he presented the copied books to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper retrieved a money pouch from under the counter and handed it to him.
“Master Shao, here is your remuneration. Please count it to ensure the amount is correct.”
Shao Yanzhe accepted it without counting and smiled at the shopkeeper: “No need to count. I trust you, shopkeeper.”
Hearing this, the shopkeeper was immensely pleased and said with a beaming smile, “Would Master Shao be interested in more copying work?”
As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently fell upon Shao Yanzhe’s book chest, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Shao Yanzhe securely stored the money pouch and hesitated briefly before responding: “Not for the time being.”
The shopkeeper nodded: “Very well. The Imperial Examination is approaching soon. I presume Master Shao should focus his energies thereon. I hereby offer my early congratulations, wishing you success in plucking cassia in the Toad Palace!”
After hearing this, Shao Yanzhe clasped his hands toward the shopkeeper in gratitude: “Many thanks for your auspicious words, shopkeeper!”
The shopkeeper shook his head, stroking his beard as he said: “If Young Master Shao has time, you might consider copying more books. Regardless of quantity, bring them to this old man—I’ll accept them all. This could provide some assistance for your future success in the imperial examinations, and it would not be in vain that we’ve come to know each other.”
Shao Yanzhe couldn’t help but look at the shopkeeper in surprise. After hesitating, he still spoke truthfully: “Thank you for your great kindness, but I have no intention of continuing further in the imperial examinations. Achieving the Xiucai degree is already sufficient for me.”
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper didn’t show any surprise, only maintaining a mysterious smile without speaking.
No matter how Shao Yanzhe pressed him, he wouldn’t explain. Growing irritable inwardly, Shao Yanzhe thought: Sooner or later, I’ll eliminate all you mysterious types!
Since he couldn’t get any answers, he directly took his leave from the shopkeeper and headed toward Wenyuan Academy according to his original memory of the route. Along the way, he didn’t forget to buy several large steamed buns as provisions.
Soon, Wenyuan Academy appeared before him.
Author’s note:
Making some adjustments to the village chief’s form of address [heart]